Black Friday... in the UK?

[Parasondox]

One year later,

Screw you Walmart!! Okay that was direct. You may be thinking, "wait, there is no Walmart in the UK". You are correct, there isn't. However we do have a Walmart owned stored called ASDA and they have also decided to embrace Black Friday. We already have Boxing Day sales but hey, people need things on the cheap and companies need the money. Win Win. We all have a right to the best and new material products, right? right? But why do things have to get crazy and violent?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30241459

I, me, have no right to discuss how people spend their own money. That their choice and I would never do that but I may have to question the companies tactics in marketing and sales. STOP TRYING TO BE AMERICA!! Sales are great, but don't turn it into... what the heck do I call it? Sheep mentality? That's harsh. Also, it's not just ASDA but other major stores too that I shall not name.

So, how do YOU feel about 'Black Friday' outside of the US. Great idea? Stupid idea? This is actually happening? Money Money and damn Money? What do you think about 'Black Friday' in general?

Capitalism is so Beautiful :')

Source: BBC News

 

[tm96]

I am of the mindset that its stupid idea to bring it here. We've seen how crazy people get on Black Friday in America and really do we even need it here?

 

[Thaluikhain]

Eh, Spain has the running of the bulls, the US has the running of the consumers...Britain needs to have some sort of culture, doesn't it?

Also, ASDA has cheerleaders? Is that a one off thing, did they hire a bunch of cheerleaders for the event, or do they retain a group of cheerleaders for such things?

 

[Barbas]

That's exactly why I avoid going to stores at all and do all my buying online. Several years ago, a relative of mine was cracked in the knee with a shopping bag full of glass wine bottles by someone who didn't even slow their pace or apologize. The persistent pains haven't allowed them to forget about that incident. It's not worth it.

Eh, Spain has the running of the bulls, the US has the running of the consumers...Britain needs to have some sort of culture, doesn't it?

Spoiler

There you go, son. Crash course.

 

[madwarper]

We already have Boxing Day

So, you celebrate the time when Rocky Balboa beat Ivan Drago? Ensuring, once and for all, that Capitalism would rule the world. Then, Black Friday should be right up your alley.

And, since neither Black Friday, nor the day prior, is a holiday in the UK, you aren't going to be getting anyone screaming about how dare the stores force their employees work that night/morning. It's just a Friday with arbitrary sales.

 

[Parasondox]

We already have Boxing Day

So, you celebrate the time when Rocky Balboa beat Ivan Drago?

Of course. Who doesn't? Wait, are people celebrating Boxing Day a different way?

 

[Parasondox]

Eh, Spain has the running of the bulls, the US has the running of the consumers...Britain needs to have some sort of culture, doesn't it?

Didn't they ban bull runs, or was that bull fighting?

And yeah we do have a culture similar to that. It's called football derbies. Celtic and Rangers, West Ham and Millwall, etc. Those are the fun and scary times.

 

[tippy2k2]

Well I'm American (U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!) so take what I have to say with a grain of salt I suppose but...

If it's a problem for you, do exactly what I do; don't go. Better yet; don't go and just use the internet to get most of those deals that everyone is waiting in line for a hour plus to get. You're not going to get the REALLY big stuff that way but I have purchased everything I need for Christmas gifts on Amazon and various retailer websites.

Also, this might sound crazy but the media severely over-blows how bad Black Friday gets (media selling sensational news rather than truth! Color me surprised!). While there are isolated cases of stupidity where people are getting trampled and attacked for a $200 TV, they are not nearly as prevalent as the news wants you to believe. I have gone to Black Friday stuff in the past and I've never once seen anyone get injured. Hell, people didn't even run in the events I had gone to (and now that's basically eliminated as stores have just been giving "tickets" to those in the front of the line; running is pointless).

 

[Jesterscup]

I work beside a big John Lewis store, they were putting up black friday stickers this morning, so I suspect this is some sort of contagious viral outbreak

 

[Jamash]

Eh, Spain has the running of the bulls, the US has the running of the consumers...Britain needs to have some sort of culture, doesn't it?

Britain already has such a culture without needing to import another one from the colonies... namely the noble tradition of running after a wheel of cheese down a really steep hill.

Britain doesn't need to look to the US or Spain for guidance on how to injure ourselves by running in a dangerous manner for silly reasons, we've been doing that quite well for centuries, thank you very much.

Also, chasing cheese down a steep hill is a far nobler endeavour than chasing bargains or being chased by bulls. Any fool can get gored in the buttocks by placing themselves in the path of stampeding cattle, but it takes the fortitude of a real gentleman to grievously injure oneself in the pursuit of an inanimate foodstuff (such as a cheese).

 

[Scarim Coral]

Yeah I find it weird that we got it in the UK now but in saying swo I shouldn't complain seeing how I just bought a printer from the Black Friday sale. In saying so I would of bought a printer anyway from the Christmas sales and I wasn't dying to buy that specific printer.

Also fun fact, did you know that Halloween was originally came from the US and here we are, we got Halloween in the UK aswell! (A co worker told me about that fact when I was talking to him about Black Friday in the UK.)

 

[Catfood220]

I think its a bit sad really. If you want a bargain then fine. But if you are running around attacking people over a cheap TV then you need to have a good hard look at your life.

I really wish it had stayed an American thing. But hey, whatever America does it seems we have to do too.

 

[Alek The Great]

I think at this point more countries are likely to get on board as it's very profitable. Stores in Canada started doing this a few years ago and it seems like it's here to stay. It's a bit strange because thanksgiving in Canada is two weeks before the U.S. one so we have this weird reminder of the U.S. thanksgiving date with this regular working Friday sale.

We also have boxing day (although that has turned into boxing WEEK) like in the UK and I wouldn't be surprised if the U.S. stores started doing boxing day/week as well.

 

[DeaDRabbiT]

One year later,

Screw you Walmart!! Okay that was direct. You may be thinking, "wait, there is no Walmart in the UK". You are correct, there isn't. However we do have a Walmart owned stored called ASDA and they have also decided to embrace Black Friday. We already have Boxing Day sales but hey, people need things on the cheap and companies need the money. Win Win. We all have a right to the best and new material products, right? right? But why do things have to get crazy and violent?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30241459

I, me, have no right to discuss how people spend their own money. That their choice and I would never do that but I may have to question the companies tactics in marketing and sales. STOP TRYING TO BE AMERICA!! Sales are great, but don't turn it into... what the heck do I call it? Sheep mentality? That's harsh. Also, it's not just ASDA but other major stores too that I shall not name.

So, how do YOU feel about 'Black Friday' outside of the US. Great idea? Stupid idea? This is actually happening? Money Money and damn Money? What do you think about 'Black Friday' in general?

Capitalism is so Beautiful :')

Source: BBC News

Well, at least this is an opportunity for you to understand that "sheep mentality" isn't an inherently "American" thing, can't be exported anywhere, and that many people from all parts of the globe are incurably pathetic.

 

[OneCatch]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30241459

Personally I'd like to see the police going in with fucking riot gear to disperse this kind of thing.... and then fine the shops in question an absolute shiteton and revoke whatever trading licenses that premises has.
Obviously, that's excessive and unworkable.

However, if shops don't hire enough staff/security and are irresponsible enough to stoke people into a frenzy it's their own damn fault, and the police have better things to be doing. So I do think the police should be able to go and immediately shut this kind of event down on public order grounds. No faffing around calming people down, or keeping a presence there to make sure nothing breaks out, just instantly observing that there's a problem and demanding they shut up for the day. That way less of the police's time gets wasted, the store loses a peak day's revenue as punishment, and people stop behaving like animals over cheap flatscreen TVs.
I do wonder if they could issue dispersal orders for the public areas outside these shops, pre-emptively, under existing legislation?

That said, the people doing this kind of thing should also know better - it's bloody pathetic to get into fights with people and stampede over cut-price electronics. Black Friday is one element of American culture/commercialism that we really could have done without. Embarrassing.

 

[Flames66]

No, they can fuck off with their stupid tradition.

 

[Colour Scientist]

I am of the mindset that its stupid idea to bring it here. We've seen how crazy people get on Black Friday in America and really do we even need it here?

I think one of the main reasons is that Black Friday extends to American stores online so shops in the UK and Ireland (and other countries) have to compete with their prices or they're going to miss out on sales.

If someone can get something for 50% less than their local high street online, they're going to go there. It makes sense that shops here would want to try something to drag people back into their stores.

It is fucking madness though.